Barnes & Noble Staff
Arrgh! Does tunafish plus tunafish equal fourfish? A girl finds herself trapped in a math curse when her teacher tells the class they can think of almost anything as a math problem. Soon she sees math everywhere. Scieszka and Smith join forces again to create another lunatic masterpiece, and adults will writhe in sympathy as they remember their own math curses.
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Whew! This latest whimsical work from Scieszka and Smith (The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; The Stinky Cheese Man) is bound to stretch out the old thinking cap. The day after her teacher announces, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem," the narrator is afflicted with a ``math curse'' that affects how she views every facet of her day (``Everything seems to be a problem''). A minimum of the questions she asks herself are entirely logical ("How many quarts are in a gallon?''); some are far-fetched extrapolations (if an M&M is about one centimeter long and the Mississippi River is about 4000 kilometers long, how many M&Ms would it take to measure the length of this river?); and a happily hefty number are sheer nonsense: "I undo 8 buttons plus 2 shoelaces. I subtract 2 shoes. I multiply times 2 socks and divide by 3 pillows to get 5 sheep, remainder 1, which is all I need to count before I fall asleep." Like the text, Smith's wonderfully wacky collage-like art will give readers ample food for thought-even if it's part junk food. Here's a morsel: "Does tunafish + tunafish = fournafish?" Kids will want seconds-count on it. Ages 7-up. (Oct.)
Children's Literature - Susie Wilde
The duo who dare to be different take us into the world of numbers in this book. They combine math and literature and get the story of a young heroine whose questions multiply when her teacher, Mrs. Fibonacci, tells the math class, "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem." The young girl is spun into the world of mathematics. Problems she encounters include simple arithmetic processes, mathematical systems, money, measuring, and geometry. The mathematical facet of the book is equaled by playful references and humor, which gains the book exponential power. One could read Math Curse with a child as young as second grade and that child would enjoy the story at face value, but upper elementary and middle school mathematicians will better appreciate the humor and references.
Children's Literature - Judy Katsh
The two bad boys of "kiddie lit" have done it again! Their irreverent look at math and the way we teach it in school will delight anyone who has ever sat through a meaningless explanation of what happens when the two infamous story-problem trains speed away from their respective stations. Readers who appreciate a first class marriage of text, illustration, sense, and nonsense will love this book.
Children's Literature - Jan Lieberman
Sorry, Mrs. Fibonacci, but when you labeled everything a math problem, my mind couldn't cope. I loved arithmetic but word problems drove me crazy. If I wanted to know how long it takes a train to go from one place to another, I'd get a train schedule. Scieszka, a former math teacher, takes numerical enigmas and rejiggers them in this mind-boggling, hysterically funny book. The combination of art and text is a hoot. There is some legitimate math within the nonsense, but most of it is just plain fun. Read it aloud at your next faculty meeting in a deadpan, serious style. If no one laughs, fire them! Assignment: What is the significance of Mrs. Fibonacci's name?
School Library Journal
Spice up your classes with books by Greg Tang, an author who encourages kids to take a playful approach to math. Each book has complete explanations for the problems posed. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Joan Kindig
There are those who like math and those that love math....and then there are those that HATE math! Everything about it is a challenge. It is as if, well, it is a curse! Written and illustrated by the team that brought you the Stinky Cheese Man and the True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, this book is funny from page one where a little girl is drawn into a curse by her math teacher's words: "You know, you can think of almost everything as a math problem." Yikes! From that moment on, everything IS a math problem and it is making her insane. She thinks of how many M&Ms lying side by side would run the length of the Mississippi River, how many pints in a quart, and how many ounces in a pint. Everything is madness. That is, until she figures out a way to make a whole (aka, hole) and she escapes from her math nightmare through the hole. So much of this is tongue in cheek and hilarious that it just might make a math lover out of you. Well, OK, maybe a math "tolerater." The movement of the animation makes the dreamlike bits in the book come alive in a way that print just could not do. It makes the DVD, a companion to the book, a perfect choice. The interview with the creators of the above mentioned books is worth acquiring the video even if you hate math. Running time: 15 minutes. Animation. Reviewer: Joan Kindig, Ph.D.
